A Place To Turn For Protection

December 24, 2001|By TINA MCCLOUD Daily Press

GLOUCESTER — Her boyfriend's abuse had been mostly verbal. Then it got physical.

That last night with him, "It was enough physical violence to tell me, 'It's time to go,' " said the woman, who recently moved into the Laurel Shelter, a temporary haven for victims of domestic violence.

The woman asked to be identified as Selena instead of her real name.

Even that first night, Selena slept well at the shelter.

"I was real comfortable being here," she said. "The first thing I saw was the Christmas tree."

She is one of more than 690 women who have found immediate and longer-term assistance at the Laurel Shelter since it opened in March 1997.

Cherie Stone, executive director, estimated that 700 to 800 children also have found shelter there when their mothers left abusive relationships.

The Laurel Shelter organization is more than a modern, comfortably furnished house with 19 beds plus cribs for the little ones. It also has a separately located Sexual Assault Crisis Center, which opened in March 1999.

Between the center and the shelter, more than 3,000 people have been helped, said Stone.

The programs serve residents of Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex, King William and King and Queen counties.

The shelter's location is kept secret to protect the residents. The crisis center is in Edgehill Shopping Center on Main Street in Gloucester.

The Laurel Shelter is among the agencies supported by the Daily Press Holiday Fund. Campaign sponsors for the annual fund also include WVBT/Fox 43-TV and radio stations Eagle 97.3 and ESPN Radio 1310.

While Selena is a newcomer to the shelter, Alicia is nearing the end of her stay.

The maximum 60-day stay normally would have ended for her a few weeks ago, but the staff told her she and her children could stay through the holidays.

"They'll help provide a good Christmas for my kids," Alicia said.

Then they will move to a house in Williamsburg, which the shelter will help furnish, according to Alicia, who said she was the victim of verbal abuse.

After two months at the Laurel Shelter, she believes she has matured. The counselor who comes in once a week for group and individual sessions has been very helpful, she said. Each resident works out a goal plan that teaches structure and discipline, said Alicia.

"It has helped ground me, so when I walk out this door, I feel more comfortable about who I am," she said.

Stone, the director, said the individual sets goals for each week and for the long term. Some victims of domestic abuse find it difficult to set goals because they have been in situations where they did not have control, said Stone.

The Laurel Shelter organization has two full-time counselors -- one with the domestic violence program and one at the crisis center. An attorney is available to help the victims.

There are three part-time staffers at the shelter, so someone is always on duty. A part-time employee at the crisis center helps rape victims, and a part-timer at the shelter is the coordinator of volunteers.

The organization's budget is $163,000 for the domestic-violence program and $61,000 for the crisis center. It also runs a thrift shop, which is self- supporting.

The shelter and crisis center operate mostly on grants from agencies such as the departments of Social Services, Housing and Community Development and Criminal Justice Services. The five localities also contribute.

The grants must be used for provision of services, so the Holiday Fund money -- $9,000 from last year's campaign -- is used for education and prevention programs, said Stone.

Roberta, another shelter resident, came there in November. She is under a doctor's care and has been homeless and in other shelters before.

Shelter staff is helping her find housing, among other assistance.

Then there are the friendships that develop among the women. They laugh and cry together.

"We're just lucky it was here," said Roberta.

DAILY PRESS HOLIDAY FUND

* WHAT: An annual campaign during the holiday season to raise money for Peninsula-area charities serving children and families in need.

* TO DONATE: Mail contributions to the Daily Press Holiday Fund, P.O. Box 746 - MP 1105, Newport News, VA 23607. Whenever possible, donors are encouraged to send their contributions with a completed copy of the coupon that appears daily in the Local section of the Daily Press, so their gifts can be properly acknowledged.

Donations also may be delivered to the newspaper's main office at 7505 Warwick Blvd., Newport News. For more information, call the Daily Press Holiday Fund Line at 928-1111 and enter category 3863 (FUND).

* PHOTOGRAPHS: Donors contributing $500 or more may request an appointment to be photographed presenting their contribution to a fund representative at the Daily Press main office. Photos on weekdays are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon. Up to five members of the contributing organization will be photographed. To schedule an appointment, call 247-4919.

* DAILY PRESS HOLIDAY FUND LINE: Readers can call the Daily Press 1-LINE at 928-1111 and enter category 3863 (FUND) to learn general information about the fund and how to contribute, how to request assistance for themselves or others, and how organizations can sponsor special events and activities to benefit the fund. Details on a special recognition opportunity for donors of $500 or more, as well as a report on how last year's campaign provided a happier holiday for needy area children and families, are also available.

Tina McCloud can be reached at (804) 642-1746 or by e- mail at tmccloud@dailypress.com